Capsized in a 10ft deep Arizona Creek- camera underwater
Discussion
Normally Arizona is dry as a bone, and I use my trusty Jeep to go wherever I need including off road. However, at this time of the year, meltwater and rain can cause quite rapid water.
I would normally have driven across this creek in summer, but now it is 8-10 feet deep and moving more rapidly than it appears in the pics.. To cross the creek the folks who live on the other side had rigged up a plastic dinghy and a clothes line, and basically pulled people across by pulling on the line.
However, on the way back the girl got the dinghy sideways and it dipped, immediately filling with water and dumping us into it. Down I went complete with my blackberry and a Canon EOS 5D2 with a 24-70 2.8 zoom. I managed to make my way to shallower ground pulling the camera up as quickly as possible and also my blackberry.Still chest deep in the current, up to my ankles in mud and holding the line. Slowly pulled myself out and helped the girl right the boat.
When I finally made it to other side ( all batteries removed) the blackberry was soaked and there was water inside the LED display on top of the camera, water inside the body and water inside the lens. Not good. Still water next day sloshing around.
The desert is bone dry away from the creeks and zero humidity basically so within three days there was no water, but my assumption was that everything was done.
Blackberry was fine when I replaced the battery. Camera....gulp..put in battery.
Well...the thing worked!. Filthy of course, and the lens has a lot of internal fogging from the water. All gone back to Canon for clean and inspection now, but it was an unexpected development.
WHen I was at the store I looked and some of the more recent cameras..a lovely Olympus 23 megapixel SLR body, (not full frame), with an equivalent to a 24-70 zoom from another manufacturer that is much better than the kit lens. so I ordered that as a travel item..and the guy behind the counter said deadpan..."quite waterproof".......
I would normally have driven across this creek in summer, but now it is 8-10 feet deep and moving more rapidly than it appears in the pics.. To cross the creek the folks who live on the other side had rigged up a plastic dinghy and a clothes line, and basically pulled people across by pulling on the line.
However, on the way back the girl got the dinghy sideways and it dipped, immediately filling with water and dumping us into it. Down I went complete with my blackberry and a Canon EOS 5D2 with a 24-70 2.8 zoom. I managed to make my way to shallower ground pulling the camera up as quickly as possible and also my blackberry.Still chest deep in the current, up to my ankles in mud and holding the line. Slowly pulled myself out and helped the girl right the boat.
When I finally made it to other side ( all batteries removed) the blackberry was soaked and there was water inside the LED display on top of the camera, water inside the body and water inside the lens. Not good. Still water next day sloshing around.
The desert is bone dry away from the creeks and zero humidity basically so within three days there was no water, but my assumption was that everything was done.
Blackberry was fine when I replaced the battery. Camera....gulp..put in battery.
Well...the thing worked!. Filthy of course, and the lens has a lot of internal fogging from the water. All gone back to Canon for clean and inspection now, but it was an unexpected development.
WHen I was at the store I looked and some of the more recent cameras..a lovely Olympus 23 megapixel SLR body, (not full frame), with an equivalent to a 24-70 zoom from another manufacturer that is much better than the kit lens. so I ordered that as a travel item..and the guy behind the counter said deadpan..."quite waterproof".......
News from the camera store not good...looks as if my trusty EOS 5D is toast. They ars still investigating. I have an older 20D for occasional use , and in the interim period am buying one of the compact Olympus 23 Megapixel SLRs with a fast 24-70 2.8 zoom for travel use. Not a full frame camera but very , very usable.
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